Full Description
Destined to become the standard reference on Pennsylvania Germans (also known as the "Pennsylvania Dutch"), this book is the first survey of this extensive American group in nearly seventy-five years. Nineteen broad interpretive essays written by a distinguished group of historians, anthropologists, sociologists, linguists, and folklorists tell the rich and nuanced story of Pennsylvania German history and culture. United by a distinct (and distinctly American) language, the Pennsylvania Germans have been slower to assimilate than other ethnic groups. This sweeping volume reveals, though, that the group is much less homogenous and isolated than was previously thought. From architecture, media, and farming techniques to food, folklore, and medicine, the Pennsylvania Germans and their descendants display a wide range of cultural variation. In Pennsylvania Germans, editors Simon J. Bronner and Joshua R. Brown broaden the geographical and social coverage of the group, touching both on Pennsylvanian communities and the Pennsylvania German diaspora, including settlements in Canada and Mexico.
They also expand historical coverage of the Pennsylvania Germans to the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Beautifully illustrated, this volume-while paying tribute to the historical and cultural legacy of the Pennsylvania Germans-is the most comprehensive book on the subject to date. Contributors: R. Troy Boyer, Simon J. Bronner, Joshua R. Brown, Edsel Burdge Jr., William W. Donner, John B. Frantz, Mark Haberlein, Karen M. Johnson-Weiner, Donald B. Kraybill, David W. Kriebel, Gabrielle Lanier, Mark L. Louden, Yvonne J. Milspaw, Lisa Minardi, Steven M. Nolt, Candace Perry, Sheila Rohrer, and Diane Wenger
Contents
Preface Acknowledgments Introduction: Pennsylvania German Studies Simon J. Bronner and Joshua R. Brown Part 1: History and Geography1. The Old World BackgroundMark Haberlein2. To the New World: Seventeenth and Eighteenth CenturiesJohn B. Frantz3. Communities and Identities: Nineteenth to the Twenty-First CenturiesDiane Wenger and Simon J. Bronner Part 2: Culture and Society4. The Pennsylvania German Language Mark Louden5. Language Use among Anabaptist Groups Donald B. Kraybill, Steven Nolt, and Edsel Burdge, Jr.6. ReligionJohn B. Frantz7. The AmishKaren Johnson-Weiner and Joshua R. Brown8. Literature Sheila Rohrer9. Agriculture and Industries R. Troy Boyer10. Architecture and Cultural LandscapesGabrielle Lanier11. Furniture and Decorative ArtsLisa Minardi12. Fraktur and Visual CultureLisa Minardi13. TextilesCandace Perry14. Food and CookingYvonne Milspaw15. MedicineDavid W. Kriebel16. Folklore and FolklifeSimon J. Bronner17. EducationWilliam W. Donner18. Heritage and TourismWilliam W. Donner19. Popular Culture and MediaSimon J. Bronner ContributorsIndex
